Pressure reducing and regulating valve.



W. M. FULTON.

PRESSURE REDUCING AND REGULATING VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- II'4, 1914- Mwlllh Patented May 30, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET lw. M. FULTON. PRESSURE REDUCING AND REGULATING VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 14, I914- Patented May 30, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- 4/Lf', Mam;

wi tmamo wnsron 1n. rumor, or moxvuw, TENNESSEE, nssrenon To run rnu'ron con:-

JPANY, or nnoxvrmn, TENNESSEE, A coaronga'rron or'namn manssnnn REDUCING AND nnenmrnte VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patenfljfifll ma y 3(1 11911 8 Application filed September M, 19M..- Serial No. 861,676.

To all whom it may concern i Be it known that I, WESTON M. F LTON a cltizen of the United States of America,

and a resident of Knoxville, Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in.

Pressure Reducing and Regulating Valves,

, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to improvements in pressure regulating and pressure reducing valves, and more particularly tovalves of this class wherein a single seated valve is employed for controlling the flow of fluids.

The invention has for its object to provide a valve device of the class referred to in which a single valve member may be balanced and may be seated and unseated quickly to thereby reduce and practically eliminate a well recognized defectknown as wire drawing, a phenomenon apt to occur when the valve is close to seating position and to result in cutting away of the valve member and its seat and. impairment 0f the function of the valve.

A further object is to prevent chattering of the valve while dispensing with the dash pot which is-customarily used in valves of this type for overcoming this objection.

Further objects are to. reduce friction of the moving parts, to simplify the construction, and generally improve, the structure and operation of the valve.

My invention secures the above objects and, generally stated, resides in providing a valve casing in which is a valveseat and a valve for the samefor-controlling the flowof fluid from the high pressure space in the casing to the low pressure space therein,

and in providing a vibratory member con sisting of a corrugatedcollapsible and expansible metal vessel preferably in the form.

of a tubular wall, the movable end wall of which is connected with the valve, the effective diameter of the vessel being -'equal that of the valve opening, the vibratory member being so disposed with respecttofluid pressure in the casing that such-pressure will act on the vibratory member in-an opposite direction to that on the valve tov balance the latter in a given position and-in other positions to hasten its movement either to or away from such position. Meansflare also provided for applying to the valve a predetermined pressure, and these means actionfofthe valve when the latter begins to unseat or approaches its seat, thus preventing chattering of the valve and wire drawmg By way of explanation f the cooperation of the corrugated member in relation to the valve in securing these results,-

a theory of its operation is here oflered. en a corrugated collapsible and expansible a metal vessel 15 internally subjected to fluid pressure, this pressure obviously tends to ex tend or lengthen thevessel. For convenience, assume that one endof the wall is held stationary and the opposite end is movable, the

' pressure on the movable end does not measure the force of the fluid pressure which acts to extend the walls of the vessel. From theoretical considerations and from practical tests,it has been found that the eflective surface on which this pressure acts in the case of acorrugated tubular vessel to extend the walls, is something less than the area of the end closure; In the case of a circular ,vessel with flexible corrugated walls, where A represents the depth of the corrugations, R the radius measured from'the center of the vessel to the nearest corrugation, and X the effective radius which represents the radius of a circular area on which the pressure effectively acts to extend the vessel, thenX may be found with a reasonable degree of accuracy by the equationx 4n 5858A T .2929A From this equation can be calculated the eflec-tive diameter of 'any corrugated colcorrugated vessel'andfgreater than the a smaller diameter of the vessel.

It has further been. discovered that the eflective diameter of the vessel slightly in; I creases during the 'extensionofthecorrugations from a given position, and the reverse takes place-on the return to compression position. Use is made of this property of the vessel to secure important advantages in the operation of the valve, as will appear in the detailed description.

In order that the lnvention may be readily understood, reference is had to the draw-,-

' ings showing by way of example certain mechanical embodiments of the inventive idea. These drawings are intended to assist .thedescription, but are not intended to limi the scope of the invention. a Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view showing a reducing valve provided with my improvement; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a reducing valve embodying my improvement in modified form; -Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the upper portion of the structure shown in Fig. 2; and Figs.

fand 5 are details.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates one constructional form of my invention and the preferred form, inwhich is shown a reducing valve casing 1 provided with the usual threaded inlet 2 and outlet 3 adapted to receive pipe connections, a

partition 4 having an opening 5 communicating between the high pressure space 6 and the low pressure space 7 of the casing,

13 provided interiorly with a ledge 14 for receiving the outturned flange 15 of a flexible corrugated metal wall 16, which is preferably inclosed by a casing 17, the lower end of which is threaded to engage threads tapped into the end of portion 13.and is adapted to bear against the flange 15 to hold the latter fast against ledge 14. The

upper and movable end oftubular. wall 16 is closed by a plate 18 and a nut 19 adapted to engage a threaded opening in the plate 18 and to clamp between them the inturned edge of the wall 16. To this end closure is screwed a valve stem 20 adapted to be secured to valve member 8 in any suitable manner,- such. as by meansof a head 21 formed on the end of the valve stem entering a threaded tubular portion 22 of the valve and'held in place by a lock nut23.

The valve isf'preferably guided'in its move- ,ments by wings 24 in the usual manner.

The top of thehousin 17 is provided with a threaded neck 25'- or receiving a ,two-

armedbracketmember 26 adapted toseat on the top of the housing and fit the neck. Thebracket' ismade .fast in'its position by .a nut 27 fitting the neck. ,1-0nearih- 2 8 of bracket 26 is adapted to pivotally support a weighted lever 29, while the other arm 30 is adapted to serve as a guide for the lever in its various positions. The nut member 19 of the end closure of .the tubular wall is provided with an upwardly extending ally attachedto lever 29.

It is an essential feature of this construction, in order that the fluid pressure on the high pressure side of the valve may act on the tubular corrugated wall to bal-' ance the pressure on the valve in closed position, that the tubular corrugated wall be, so constructed as to have an effective diameter, as defined above, equal the diameter of the valve face exposed to the pressure acting on the vibratory wall. A wall constructed to meet this condition will have its greater diameter, taken normal to the longitudinal axis of the wall, greater than that of the face of the valve and will have its smaller diameter, taken parallel thereto, smaller than that of the valve. The effective diameter will lie between the two and be determined in the manner explained. 1

socket 31 for receiving a plunger 32 pivot- Assuming that the valve device has been constructed as described and that fluid pressure on the high pressure side of the valve acts upward on the corrugated tubular wall to balance the downward pressure on the valve when the latter is in the closed position shown in Fig. 1, the weight on lever 29 is adjusted so as to normally open the ,valve when. upward pressure on the low pressure, side of the valve drops below a predetermined amount. As illustrated, the valve has been raised by this pressure into seated position and may be considered on the point of being-opened by the action of downward pressure exerted by the weight. The longitudinal axis of the tubular wall then shortens and the efi'ective diameter also shortens, thereby lessening the effect of the fluid pressure on-the corrugated wall to oppose the downward pressure on the valve. That is, equilibrium of these opposing forces is now unbalanced in favor of the the action of this pressure on the low pressure side ofthe valve lifts the latter. I In doing so, the effective diameter of the cor- I I rugate'd tubular wall increases and hastens ..the upwardgmovement of the valve in a' manner the reverse of that just described.

It will thus be seen that the movement of the valve is hastened when it moves away from and when it moves towards'its normal position.v It will be obvious that the normal position may be one in-which the valve is closed or is. normally open, and that the corrugated wall maybe so arrangedpas to be bers 36, each of which at its upper end .terminates in ayoke 37, the two members of on either side of the valve.

In Figs. 2 and 3, T have shown a reducing valve in all respects like that above described,

except that adjustable spring pressure is utilized to move the valve from normal position and means are employed to compensate for the resiliency of the corrugated walls. On housing 17 are cast, or otherwise secured,

lugs 33 having wedge-shaped recesses 34 formed in their upper extremities for receiv ing knife-edge bearings 35 on rocking mem- Which' have V-sha ed bearings to receive a double knife-edge earing 38 adapted to slip over a screw 39 located between the bearing adapted to receive a nut 40 'atfor receiving a screw 45, the lower end of 1 which bears on small spring 47 resting on an annular member 48, 'the'lower part of which has .a screw ,connec-' ,tion' with the socket member. 3'1'of the end plate 46 carried by a closureof the tubular wall 16. Toggle members 49 terminating in lmife-edges engage suitable bearings the rocking members 36,

36 and in thejslde sof the annular member a 48. These memberstransmit'; the pressure of spring 41 by means'ofrocking members 36 to the head of tubular wall-16 This'pres sure is regulated by adjusting screw 39. The position of the toggle members 49 above or below a horizontal line determines the direc-.

tionof their action in compensating for the resiliency of the corrugations in the wall 16.

The valve is shown' provided with a pro-. jection 50 having a slot for receiving a flat tool which may be inserted through ,the lower opening in the casing when the valve is ground to seat. The operation of this con structional form is the same as that'previously described, except that the valve is set for maintaining a given reduced pressure 7 by adjusting spring 47. The action of the compensating device on the operation of the reducing valve enables the latter tooperate within narrower limits and with greater precision.

What is claimed is v 1. In a valve of the character described, a valve and means for balancing the fluid pressure on one side of the valve when in one position comprising a flexible corrugated said valve.v

6. In a valve of the character described;

11,1 ,940 y l tit tubular wall connected toithe val'veand having an effective diameter equal that of v the valve when in said position, and yielding ineans'normally tending to move the valve away from said position.

2. In a valve of the character described, a valve and means for balancing the fluid pressure on .oneside of the valve when in one. position comprising a flexible corrugated tubular wall 'connected to the valve andhaving an, effective diameter equal that of the valve when in said position, and e gravity-actuated means normally tending to move. the valve away from said position,

, 3. In a valve of the character described, a valve, and means for balancing fluid pressure on one side of said valve when in one position comprising-a flexible tubular corrugated wall connected tozthe valve, the ef- I fectivediameter of the wall being equal that of the valve when position.

the latter occupies said 4, Ina valve of the character described,

j a valve memberadapted to control a passage in said valve, and means subject to fluid pressure for balancing said valve in closed position and becoming active to hasten the opening and closing of said valve when the valve is moved toward either of these positions comprising a flexible corrugated tubu lar Wall connected-to said valve and having an efiective diameter equal .thatof the valve.

when the latter is in closed position, said diameter decreasing as the valve opens, and

yielding means normally acting to-open said valve.'- 5. Ina-pressure reduclng or regulating valve, a'flva'lve member adapted to control a.

passage in saidvalve, and means for balancing fluid pressure on one side of said valve when'the' valve is in closed position comprising a. flexible corrugated tubular wall connected with said valve and having an .eflective diameter when the valve is in closed position equal'that of the valve, and

yielding means for gated tubular metal wall operatively connected on one side of said valve and having an efl'ective diameter equal to that of the valve in closed position for balancing fluid pressure on said side of the valve.

7. In a; valve of the character described, a valve casing having-a supply inlet for fluid under high pressure and an outlet for dis charging fluid under low pressure, a partition between said inlet and outlet and having an opening, a valve controlling said opening located on the low pressure side of said partition, a corrugated collapsible and expansible vessel located onthe high ,pressure side of the partition and having its movable end connected to said valve, the

normally acting to open side of the. partition falls fluid pressure on said vessel balancing the pressure on sald valve when in closed position,"and'yielding means actingto open' said valve when the pressure on the low pressure termined amount.

' '8. Ina valve of the character described,-

a valve, and a collapsible and expansible corrugated metal vessel. operatively conside of'the valve in said position of the latter.

9 In a pressure reducing or regulatingvalve,'a valve member adapted to control apassage-in said valve, means for balancingfluid pressure on one side of said Valve when the valve is in closed position comprising a' flexible corrugated tubular wall connected :with said valveand having an eflective di-..

ameter when the valve is in closed position equal thatof the valve, and yielding means for normally acting to open said valve, and

spring pressed means for compensating for" below a prede- .thenresiliency of the corrugations. in said -wa 10. In a*reducing valve, a single valve controlling a port between high and low pressure, a flexible corrugated vessel exposed to high pressure having a connection with the high. pressure side of said valve and adapted to balance said valve on the high pressure side when the valve is closed by low pressure.

' v 11; In a valve of the character described, a valve controlling a port, a flexible corrugated tubular wall having' a connection withsaid valve onits inlet side, said wall having an effective diameter when the valve is closed by fluid pressure on the outlet side equal to that of the port for balancing the .inletpressure on said valve.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two sub-.

scribing witnesses. i

. WESTON M. FULTON.

Witnesses:

H. T. PA'r'roN, RO'IHE WEIGEL. 

